Falling Out of Time
by Ash-the-great
Summary: JessRory later on. Chapter Three Finally Up! When Rory is hit by a car, she falls into a coma. How will the rest of Stars Holow deal with it? Please Read and Review!
1. Furry Kittens and Cold Coffee

**Hello! It's me again, with another Gilmore Girls fanfic. Torn has been put on hold for the moment, so I can work on this fic. Please enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing ut the plot. Try and steal the plot and I will sic my army of Twinkies on you.**

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Lorelai paced the floor. Hospital floors were not the best place for pacing; they were usually slick and shiny, and when you stare at the print they swirl your brain. But she wasn't allowed in the room, and she had read all the magazines in the waiting area, and eaten three candy bars and had two coffees. Now pacing was the only refuge she had left.

She heard the emergency room doors squeak open. It was Luke, with a cup of coffee in one hand and the keys to his truck in the other. He looked wildly around, and saw her pacing. He gently handed the cup to Lorelai. "I just got the message from Dean. What happened?"

Lorelai's eyes filled with tears. "She…she was out on the road, this little kitten was out there and she wanted it to be safe, and a car came over that blind curve and…" She felt tears bursting out of her eyes. "It hit her."

Luke turned white, and collapsed in a hard plastic hospital chair. "Lorelai, I'm…I'm so sorry. They won't let you in to see her?"

Lorelai shook her head. "She's drifting in and out of consciousness, and they want to be able to get in there fast without interference if something goes wrong." Luke got up and gave her a rough hug, much unlike him. "Will she be okay, do they know?"

Lorelai wiped a few tears from her eyes. "They can't be sure." Luke sank down into the chair again.

Rory could barely determine the fuzzy shapes in the room as doctors. One of them was taking notes. "What happened?" She tried to ask, but no sound came out. She realized that there was a rubber tube down her throat. "Hello?" She managed to rasp out. The doctors all ran over right next to her. "Rory? Can you hear me?" One asked. Rory nodded slowly. Her eyelids were heavy; she could barely keep her eyes open.

":Rory, you were hit by a car. Do you remember that?" Rory slowly, painfully nodded. "All right, that's good." The note doctors made a mark on the chart.

"Where's my mom?" Roy asked, her throat burning with the effort.

"Outside. Do you want to see her?" Rory nodded forcefully. "Alright, I'll go get her."

A doctor came out of the room, a clipboard under his arm. Luke and Lorelai jumped up, and Lorelai's parents ran over from where they were filling out forms for an exhausted Lorelai.

"Your daughter is conscious, Ms. Gilmore. She remembered the accident, so we can assume there is little brain damage, if any. However, she's still not stable. She's asking for you, but she's going unconscious very quickly, so please be fast."

Lorelai sprang into the room and grabbed Rory's hand. "Oh, Rory, why did you have to like that stupid cat so much?"

Rory managed a small grin. "It was so cute and furry, I couldn't resist."

Lorelai smiled weakly. It was still the same old Rory. "Babe, how're you feeling?"

"I really can't feel anything. Not from the waist down. They said they don't know what's going on there, but it doesn't matter."

Lorelai masked her worry. "Okay. Well, the doctors say you need your rest, so I have to go now."

Rory nodded. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

Lorelai smiled. "Love you too." Rory smiled weakly back, and let her eyes close. Sweet unconsciousness drifted over her, and she smiled. It was time to sleep.

The doctors followed Lorelai out. "Ms. Gilmore, Rory is not doing well at all. We fear she may slip in to a coma."

A red light suddenly blinked, and an alarm blared. The doctors ran into Rory's room, leaving Lorelai nervously biting her lip and crying silently.

A doctor came out soon after. "Ms. Gilmore, I'm afraid that your daughter has, as we feared, slipped in a coma. This may last anywhere from a few hours to many years. I'm very sorry, ma'm." He turned back to the room. Lorelai covered her mouth and fainted dead away, Luke barely catching her.

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**So, I know it stinks, and is kind of rushed. But please review and tell me what you want in the next chapter? This will Jess/Rory fic later on. Tell me your ideas, though, I'm eager for siggestions!**

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	2. Questions and Answers

**Okay, thanks everyone for the positive reviews! I finally forced myself to sit down and write this, so I hope you enjoy it, it took two hours! xD**

**Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot, which I really should take to the producers of Gilmore Girls...anywho, no touching the plot or I will poke you until the give it back. This can be very annoying, I warn you.**

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**One Year Later**

Luke wiped down the counter with a damp cloth, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. As usual, Rory and Lorelai were on his mind. He wondered how Rory was doing, and how Lorelai was handling the fact that this was the one year anniversary of Rory's coma. Ever since Rory had fallen into the coma, Lorelai hadn't been the same. She now read a lot, mostly books from Rory's collection. Luckily, Luke and Lorelai's relationship hadn't changed; well, it had, of course, but for the better. They were now much closer, going together to visit Rory every day. All of Stars Hollow visited her sometime during the month; she was very good for confiding in. Luke himself had gone to talk to her many times before, comforted by the fact that while she couldn't talk, she could listen. But Rory was still very missed; everyone missed her, although the fact that they could still visit her helped a lot.

Luke looked up again, and something caught his eye. There was a boy, well, a teenager, standing outside the diner, just looking at him. He would recognize that sullen look and leather jacket anywhere. Jess was back.

He walked out of the diner, which was in a lull due to the fact that most of Stars Hollow's citizens were working, and so he was free to confront his nephew without having to worry about the customers.

"Jess…what are you doing here?"

Jess looked his uncle straight in the eyes, something he had only done once before. "Liz has been pestering me to visit for a while, so I came down for a week or so."

"Oh. Uh…where are you staying?" Jess shrugged. "Is there still a couch up there?"

Luke sighed, taking one of Jess's bags from him. "Come on. The lunch rush starts in about an hour, so you'll have a chance to get settled in."

Jess had once again fallen into the diner's rhythm. He rushed around with Luke, taking orders, refilling drinks, and once mixing up a milkshake for Lane, who hurriedly looked away when she saw him. In fact, a lot of the customers recognized him and looked away. He only knew them because Rory had introduced him to them…suddenly he realized who was missing from the lunchtime madhouse.

"Hey, Luke, where's Lorelai and Rory?"

Luke cringed at the name Rory. "Lorelai will be here soon."

"And Rory?"

Luke cringed again. "Can we talk about this later? I need you take that couple's orders." Jess, still puzzled, did what he was asked, but his mind was wandering Why was Luke uncomfortable talking about Rory? It was weird.

He heard the bell over the door jingle, and in walked Lorelai, looking very distraught. She kissed Luke on the cheek, whispering something in his ear. He snuck a peek at Jess, whispering back to her. Lorelai whirled around to look at Jess.

"Jess…you're back." He nodded. "Hi." He finished taking the couple's orders, and walked around back to fill up two glasses full of soda. When he came out again, Lorelai was seated at the counter, a cup of coffee in hand. Luke gave him a look, which clearly said, "Don't you dare even THINK about talking to her." Jess, taking the hint, felt the urge to be rebelious and go over to strike up a conversation, but hesteered away from Lorelai, wondering what his uncle was so worried about. He was still wondering where in the world Rory could be.

It was two hours later that the last lunchtime customer left, and Luke put up the closed sign. Jess watched him, confused. The only person remaining was Lorelai. "Ready to go?" She asked Luke, who nodded, starting out the door.

"Where are you going?" Jess asked.

"Well, to visit Rory, of course…" Before Lorelai could finish, Luke was whispering hurriedly to her, pulling her back behind the counter. He listened carefully, hearing Lorelai shout, "What do you MEAN you didn't tell him?" and "Well, he's going to find out eventually, and I'd rather tell him now than have someone else mention it and him wonder why you didn't bother to tell him!" Finally, they seemed to come to a compromise, because Lorelai sighed and quietly said, "Okay. I guess that'll work." A few moments later, they were both standing in front of Jess. "Jess, we'd like you to come with us."

"Where are we going?" he asked suspiciously.

Lorelai looked up to Luke, who shook his head. "You'll see."

Jess, confused but intrigued, followed them out to Lorelai's Jeep, sitting in the back while Luke and Lorelai sat whispering in the front. After what seemed like and hour, but what was really just a few minutes, they parked in the parking lot of a huge, grey and white stone building. Jess looked up to see the words Stars Hollow Medical Center etched into the stone.

"Wha…?" Jess tried to question, but Luke interrupted. "Come on, Jess, let's go." He fell silent, following Lorelai and Luke as they made their way through a maze of hospital rooms, avoiding cart pushing nurses and doctors walking into various rooms. After a while, they stopped at a large looking room. The door was shut. Lorelai looked from Luke to Jess, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Jess looked cautiously inside, as if something was going to jump out at him. There was Rory, lying on a hospital bed, the sheets drawn neatly up to her chin. Her dark hair was neatly brushed to fan out behind her, and she appeared to be sleeping very peacefully, as she had a slight smile and her face and her baby blue eyes were closed. There were a few tubes stuck into her skin, and a dozen or so monitors and machines were humming and beeping around them.

Lorelai walked in, kissing Rory on the forehead. "Hey, babe. How're you doing today?" When Rory didn't stir, Jess shot Luke a puzzled look, but Luke didn't meet his eyes, just bent over to smooth down her hair. "Hey, Rory." Again, she didn't stir, just continued to stay still and quiet.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" Jess demanded loudly, sure that this would wake the sleeping Rory. But she didn't even react.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Jess, for exactly a year today, Rory has been in a coma. She was hit by a car, and…" her voice cracked, and Luke wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. "She's been like this ever since." She turned to bury her head into Luke's chest, tears leaking through his flannel shirt. Luke wrapped both arms around her this time, pulling her close and holding her. Jess shook his head slowly. "No. That couldn't be. Rory couldn't be. Rory couldn't be…this is a joke, right? Right?" He was screaming now, and the nurses were gathering outside. This wasn't happening. He had been looking forward to seeing Rory, to tell her he was sorry, sorry for leaving without even a word. Now she had done the exact thing to him. He pushed his way through the nurses, running outside. He needed to smoke, very badly. This wasn't happening to him…Rory wasn't in a coma…she wasn't gone…soon she would be waking up and she would come down and say that she was sorry that they had pulled that kind of sick prank on him, that she was really just fine, that she had missed him…this couldn't be happening to him. It couldn't be.

But even as he told himself this, he knew that it was. Rory had been hit by a car, had been in a coma for a whole year…and he hadn't been there for her. Yes, this was really happening.

This was really happening to him.

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**Yay, I finished the second chapter! Now I'm a little addicted, actually, so next chapter very soon! Now to answer some stuff...**

**Summer:**I know I want to see how Jess shows up in the picture, how long she is in a coma and how it is handled

**Me: **Well, you found out about Jess...you will find out more about the other two very soon, I promise!

**Tay : **As far as the story line goes, when does this take place?

**Me:** Good question. I still have to figure that out, but I will get back to you on that very soon!

**music4mysoul: **I'm kinda curious why Dean was the one to call Luke, is he with Rory?

**and Gilmore-Buffy-Fan13:** Are Rory and Dean together?

**Me:** Let me say this right now: Yes, they are, he has been waiting for her...but this may not be so for very long...-hint hint-

**Dione Robertson:** What will Rory think about during her coma? What will people said to her? Will Jess and Dean fight it out all over the hospital before she wakes up?

**Me: xD Well, The next chapter should explain bits and parts of these questions, tune in!**

**Okay, now you all must review! Press the button to continue!**

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	3. White Prison

**A/N: Okay, you guys wanted an update, here it is. ou're lucky that I love reviews, because I am currently surviving on four hours of sleep, a bottle of Aquafina, a bag of poporn, and a bowl of Scobby Doo Dog Bones cereal. This new chapter is still a short one like the others, but it explains a bit more about what's going on with Rory...read on!**

**Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot. Oh, and the white place, I thought of the white place! Everything else is not mine. Touch the plot, and... -makes chopping motion and strangling gestures- Get the point? Good. Now you may read!**

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_Rory was walking in a room. Actually, she didn't know if it was a room or not; everything was just white. It was an endless white plain, flat and uncolored. She had been there for a long time; she couldn't remember exactly how long, because both her cell phone and watch had disappeared when she entered this…what could she called it, an alternate reality?. She was dressed in a plain white dress, nothing else. "Hello?" she called out, as she did constantly. She liked to think that she called out every hour, but she couldn't be quite sure. "Is anyone here? Luke, Dean, Mom? Anyone?" _

_Suddenly she was plunged down into darkness. She screamed, never having done this before in her white prison. Suddenly she was looking down from what seemed to be the ceiling of Luke's diner. _

"_What the heck…?" She whispered as she watched carefully for signs of any intelligent life. Nothing. She tried testing her abilities; she could walk, but not on the floor. She seemed to levitate on thin air; she had no clue what was happening._

_Suddenly she heard a lock in the door. She froze, realizing that it had to be Luke. She smiled. He would be able to tell her what was going on._

_Luke pushed the door open, holding Lorelai's hand and pulling her inside. "Mom! Luke! I'm up here! What's going on?" She called down to them. But they didn't answer. She flashed them a puzzled look. "Mom? Luke? Helllloooooo?" They still didn't respond, but seemed to be waiting for someone._

"_Mom, Luke! Hello?" She waved to them, but no response. _They can't hear me_, she realized, _or see me!

"_Jess, come on!" Luke called. A sullen face Jess slowly walked into the room, to Rory's surprise, but not displeasure. Her stomach leaped; she didn't know why, though. After all, she tried to convince herself, she had Dean. So why was her stomach full of butterflies when Jess entered a room and couldn't even see her? She decided to ponder it later, when she was in her white room. At least, if she ever got back there…_

"_Jess, we know you're mad, but…" Lorelai said gently, but she was interrupted by a very red-faced Jess. _

"_Mad? Mad is not the word. There is no word to describe how furious I am. So, Luke, Lorelai, you just casually decided not to mention that someone I knew very well has been in a coma for a year? Sure, when I come by a year later to visit my mom, you'll decide to take me to visit the one person in Stars Hollow who didn't openly hate me, other than you two? That's a great idea. Just fantastic!" He stormed upstairs, not stopping to pick up a picture he knocked off the wall when he slammed the door shut._

_Lorelai sunk into a chair at the counter. "Got any coffee left?" Luke looked at her. "Do you even need to ask that question?" She smiled at his answer, covering her face with her hands as he set down her coffee and sat down next to her, sipping from his own cup and wrapping an arm around her shoulders._

"_Don't worry about him. After he gets over the initial shock of seeing Rory in a coma, he'll be much better about it." Did Rory hear correctly? Was she in a coma? Was that why she had been in that white place all this time? What did he say it was, a year?_

"_Oh, Luke, why didn't you tell him?"_

_He was silent for a moment, thinking it over. "I was afraid he would react like this. You know they were close when he was here."_

_Lorelai sighed. "Well, we'd better not let him know she's with Dean now. Well, at least, he hasn't decided to move on because she's not around." Rory smiled at Dean's mention. It was good to know that he boyfriend was still faithful to her, even though she had been gone for a whole year. _

_Luke nodded. "Yeah, he'd get even angrier. Although he might find out anyway, you know." Lorelai nodded as well, taking another sip of coffee. Suddenly Rory didn't see the diner anymore, and she was back in her white place._

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Jess sat down on the couch with a groan. How could this be happening? How could they not tell him about this? It had been a whole freaking year! How could they? 

He slowly breathed in, counting to ten. He was acting like a seven year old. They didn't know that he had feelings for Rory still, that he had thought about Rory every day for the whole time he had been gone. How could they, unless he told them? But he wasn't going to tell them, and he and Rory didn't have a chance if she stayed in the coma for the next week. After that he had to leave.

He hid his face in his hands. God, this was messed up. He needed to just talk to her, even if she couldn't hear him. He grabbed his jacket, pulling it on to keep out the early April chill, and stalked out the door.

"Where are you going?" Luke called to him.

"Out. I'll be back in an hour," he said over his shoulder, letting the door slam behind him.

Jess looked around, trying to see the hospital. There it was, towering over the trees a few blocks away. He set off, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking down to avoid eye contact.

Jess could hear a voice coming from Rory's room. It sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't really place it. He walked towards the door as quietly as possible, peeking in and listening.

"Rory, I wish you would wake up." It was Dean. "I've been waiting for you, you know. I haven't given up. You'll get better someday, I know it." Dean had his face in his hands now, like he was about to scream and was trying to prevent it. "So, wake up soon, okay?" Dean looked over at her. "I love you, you know, and I'm willing to wait." Dean walked over to kiss Rory's forehead. He set a vase of flowers on a table near her head, grabbed his backpack, and walked out the door, Jess quickly stepping back, glad that Dean was distracted and didn't see him.

So, they were still together. Now he had even less of a chance. Still, he had to at least talk to her, even if it meant she couldn't hear him. He sat down in the chair Dean had occupied a minute before, head in his hands. After waiting in silence for long,

antagonizing moments, he looked up at her. Her hair was now pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and she was wearing a different shirt; he assumed Lorelai had changed her after he stormed out. She looked almost like an angel in a white, quarter-length shirt, with the white sheets pulled to her stomach now.

"Hey, Rory. Sorry about screaming this morning." There was calm, serene silence, like he knew there would be. He watched her. "You know, ever since I left, I've thought about you every day. I'm not sure why. I think I still have feelings for you." He said the world slowly, realizing that he meant them. "I want another chance with you. But you're in a coma, Rory, a freaking coma! You have a perfect boyfriend who's waited for you for all this time, who brings you flowers, visits you every day! I know when I can't compete, you know." The air was thick as his words weighed down the air. "If you wake up within the week, maybe I'll have a chance. But I haven't been here for you. I probably hurt you really badly when I just got up and left you, and I'm really, truly sorry about it. I should have written, called, something. I came back to see you, and here you are, in a coma. I just wanted you to know that I…I…I missed you." He swallowed. "Well, at least I know you can't hear me, so you can't laugh in my face." He tilted his head a bit. "But maybe you wouldn't have. You're not like anyone I've met, Rory Gilmore." He stood. "Well, I wanted you to know I'll be waiting for you, too." He walked out of the room, slightly shocked at his own boldness.

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_What Jess and Dean both didn't know was that Rory could, in fact hear them. She had once again been pulled out of her place to rest on the ceiling of her hospital room. She got to see herself in a coma, not moving, not thinking, and not doing anything, really. She didn't like it at all._

_She had watched as Dean came in, bringing her sunflowers, her favorite. She listened as he told her he loved her, that he was waiting for her. She had also watched as Jess poured out his feelings, saying he had missed her. That he knew he had no chance with her. That he was sorry for hurting her. She had never seen this side of Jess. She had never seen Jess apologize so sincerely before. It amazed her, and made her smile. He was sorry! Really, truly sorry! Her stomach was jumping again, and she knew she hadn't completely gotten over him, no matter what she told everyone else. If only she would wake up! Then she could actually sort through this awful mess that was her life. She struggled with herself as she was tossed back into her white place. She stomped the ground, trying to break free of the invisible bonds that held her in her prison._

"Nurse! Nurse!" a doctor screamed as the alarm went off, "Get the mother over here! She's waking up!"

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Sorry to leave you hanging there...actually, no, I really am not, but I felt I should say that anyways. I hpe you liked this, though I feel it was rushed. Please, feel free to give constructive crit, but no flaming please, it's not nice, and it makes the kittens cry. When the kittens cry, I tend to get out my big stick to poke people with and I prepare my Twinkie army...gah, I'm rambling. Next chapter very soon, if you review! 

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